Awakening
by smallearthcat
Summary: After the events of The Macra Terror, Jamie sees his companions in a new light. Ben/Jamie slash.


Ever since Jamie met Ben, he's been almost...in awe of the other man. True, their first meeting was incredibly confusing for Jamie, but the moment Ben stood up for Jamie's people at his own risk, he was cemented in Jamie's affection.

Of course, when Jamie found out about travelling through time and space, there was no way for him to think of the Doctor, Ben, and Polly as anything short of magical. He was generally a pretty down-to-earth sort of person, and it wasn't too difficult to look at their travels in terms of things he was familiar with. The places, the situations, even the monsters came to make a certain amount of sense. But somehow, he never seemed to get over his sense of wonder regarding his companions. Until, that is, they ended up in a place he knew only as the Colony, and Ben unexpectedly turned on them.

At first, he hadn't really understood, had been hurt that Ben would betray them. And later, even when he realized that it wasn't Ben's fault, Jamie discovered that that sense of awe had finally dimmed. The Doctor, Ben, Polly – they were all fallible. Jamie almost expected to have trouble adjusting to his new perspective, so it was something of a surprise to find that, if anything, it was easier to relate to them, and especially to Ben.

Suddenly, Ben was just this other man, about the same age as him, someone he could rely on, and someone he wanted very much to be friends with. So, he started spending more time with Ben and Polly since they always seemed to be together. It was...interesting, to say the least. Sometimes they would talk about things, and he would be so lost that the explanation would be twice as long as the conversation. Sometimes he and Ben would team up and tease Polly, and she would always give as good as she got.

By far his favorite times, though, were the times when he managed to catch Ben on his own. They'd explore the TARDIS or play cards and swap stories. It turned out that Ben was as interested in his experiences piping as Jamie was in Ben's experiences at sea. Once, Ben had even asked Jamie to play something for him. Jamie had done so and been pleased to hear Ben's, 'Nice job, mate.'

Of course, Jamie knew he was good, but it was still nice to hear it from someone else. His cheeks had unexpectedly flushed, and Ben had teased him about it until he claimed it was just from playing. The most memorable occasion, though, came on a mostly innocuous day when the two of them were playing cards while Polly looked through the TARDIS wardrobe.

"Did y' not miss home, being away so long?"

"Well, there were a few things I missed, but being home never suited me."

Jamie frowned slightly, not able to imagine being unhappy to be home. Some of that must have shown on his face because Ben chuckled.

"What?" Jamie asked, suddenly defensive.

"Nothin'. Nothin' at all. Anyway, it's not like there's much for me back there. I'm a sailor at heart."

"Well, what do y' miss from home, then?"

"Girls, mostly. About the only thing worth going ashore for, really."

"Oh, aye. Lots of time away from the lasses must make it worth it to see them again."

"Sure does. Not that you can't get up to plenty with the lads, but there's nothing quite like having a pretty girl on your arm. You know what I mean?"

Jamie was confused again and ignored the question in favor of clarification. "Get up to plenty with the lads?"

"Sure, mate. Not much else for it when you've got months between ports." Seeing that Jamie still wasn't getting what he was talking about, Ben made a crude gesture that had Jamie's eyes widening.

"_Oh_." They played several hands of poker in silence, with Jamie's mind racing. Finally, he couldn't take the silence or his own looping thoughts anymore, so he just blurted out the first thing he could think of. "What was it like?"

He immediately pressed his lips together, wishing he hadn't said anything at all. Ben looked thoughtful, and Jamie was almost afraid to hear his answer. "Well, look Jamie, I don't really know how to explain what it's like." He paused. "Maybe a little demonstration?" Ben set down his cards and moved so he was sitting next to Jamie rather than opposite him.

"Ben, I don't think-" Jamie was cut off by Ben abruptly pressing their lips together.

It was awkward at first, both of them with their eyes open and neither really moving. But at some point, Jamie must have relaxed into it a bit because suddenly his eyes were closed, and it was a whole lot better. The kiss didn't last long, and when they broke apart, Jamie knew he was blushing like mad. Ben smirked slightly and moved back to his previous position.

"Course, that's not even the half of it, but the rest would require a bit more privacy..." he trailed off as Polly came out of the wardrobe.

"How do I look?" She gave a quick twirl as Ben and Jamie looked over at her.

"You look gorgeous, Duchess."

"Aye, Polly, y' look good."

"Thanks." Polly frowned slightly, looking at Jamie. "Why are you so red?"

The question took Jamie by surprise. "I, that is, I just-"

"He's just a bit sore that he keeps losing to me." Ben winked at Jamie, which didn't go unnoticed.

"Alright," Polly finally said, sounding not at all convinced as she turned back toward the wardrobe. "I'll get changed, and then maybe we could see about some lunch?"

"Sure thing, Pol," Ben said, loudly enough for her to hear. "And maybe, if you wanted, I could show you a bit more later?" he suggested, lowering his voice so only Jamie could hear.

Jamie hesitated, but only for a moment. "Aye, that'd be good."

"Great." Ben smiled as he stood and clapped Jamie on the shoulder.

"Ready?" Polly asked, emerging once more.

Ben and Jamie both nodded.

"Good, I'm famished." Polly strode out the door ahead of them, and they followed. "Anyone else want some sausage?"


End file.
